Naval Academy Knights of Columbus Assist AIDS Hospice in D.C.

The USNA Knights of Columbus joined with the Missionaries of Charity Sept. 29 to perform charity work at the missionaries’ AIDS Hospice in Washington, D.C.

The midshipmen took part in manual labor projects all around the campus to enable the nuns to focus their efforts on their many patients.

For the Knights of Columbus at USNA, this charity project has been a once-a-semester tradition spanning for more than three years. The Knights of Columbus partake in a number of other charity events each semester including volunteering with religious orders and homes as well as providing volunteers for various charity projects around the Annapolis area.

After the long day of service in D.C., the Knights of Columbus journeyed back to Annapolis to share in another rich tradition of the Knights: the celebration of Brotherhood. A dining out was held that night at the local Lewnes Steakhouse that began in prayer and reflection on what being a man of faith truly means.

USNA Knights of Columbus is a fraternal Catholic charity organization for the males of the Naval Academy.

USNA Knights is an organization that represents “the Knights of Columbus abroad, the Catholic church, and the strong arm of Catholic service for the church,” said Grand Knight Midshipman 1st Class Scott Oberst. “We work to offer and to represent an elevated sense of camaraderie within the Catholic male community on the Yard.”

Oberst is the 6th Grand Knight for the USNA chapter since its beginning as an official ECA in 2009. Since then, the Knights have grown to a present number in the hundreds with dozens who routinely participate in service projects around the Annapolis, D.C., and Baltimore areas.

Being a Knight at USNA means “being a part of a long-standing tradition that reaches beyond the academy and not only allows us to enrich our faith but also share the moral obligation of service in a group whose focus is just that,” says Midshipman 2nd Class Tim Sabean, a member since 2012.

An interesting dynamic of the USNA Chapter is that its community of Knights spans much farther than just the midshipmen on campus. It also involves the Catholic officers who are Knights as well. The officers who share this common bond with the Midshipmen Knights are able to and often provide the Midshipmen Knights with insight into what it means to be a man of faith in today’s growing and changing military.